Untold Lies Untold Truths
by Fury Seven Kerrigan
Summary: A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else believes the smile on your face. – Unknown. Arthur and Merlin have been captured and Arthur has trouble in convincing himself that he will be worthy of being King. A challenge from Method in Madness
1. Chapter 1

Challenge from Method in Madness.

_A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else believes the smile on your face. – Unknown _

**Untold Lies. Untold Truths. **

**Chapter One**

"Arthur,"

"Yes Merlin?"

"It's dark."

"Idiot."

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"For stating the obvious."

"You didn't have to hit me round the head though."

"I really- _really_- did."

"You're such a... a..."

"A what, Merlin? Spit it out."

"Clotpole!"

"You're just asking for trouble now. The only reason I'm not hitting you around the head again is that it's too much like hard work to raise my arm again."

"..."

"Merlin?"

"I'm here."

"Are you alright?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

"Well, we're still stuck in a pitch black cell chained to the wall, and I still have to listen to you."

"..."

"..."

"Does your leg still hurt?"

"No Merlin, a sword wound to the leg is like a picnic on a summer's day."

"Seriously Arthur."

"_Mer_lin, I-"

"_Arthur_!"

"... yes. And it's started itching and it feels hot."

"I'll get us out of here."

"Merlin, you couldn't find your way out of a stable if the horse showed you."

"Idiot. I'll think of something."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're going to have to. I'm feeling... almost drunk. It's hard to think like this."

"That'll be when you hit your head on that rock. Gauis will fix that for you."

"..."

"Arthur?"

"..."

"Arthur?"

"...I'm still here..."

"I'd prefer it if you kept talking so that I knew you were alright."

"I am the Crown Prince of Camelot and I'll have you know tha' I can sleep whenever I damn well please."

"No Arthur, you have to stay awake."

"G'nigh' Merlin..."

"Arthur! Arthur stay awake!"

oOo


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

In the pitch black, Merlin couldn't see Arthur at all, but he could tell that he wasn't doing well. The sword stab to the Prince's thigh had been deep and bloody and when he'd fallen, his head had slapped against a rock with a hideous thud.

They had been taken captive by bandits whilst riding through the lands owned by Camelot when they'd been attacked in a dense forest between villages. One had fallen from a tree landing almost on top of Arthur and had stabbed him straight through the leg at the same time while another had fallen on to Merlin's horse and both men had been dragged from their saddles and landed heavily on the ground, but Merlin had had the luck of falling on top of the bandit. That landing had earned him a beating by the man's vast fists but he was still in better shape than Arthur.

Merlin didn't even think that the bandits knew who it was they'd caught when they'd dragged them back to the ruined fort of some ancient civilisation. Arthur's face had been glazed and there was a small trickle of blood running down the side of his face and Merlin wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not to call attention to the fact that he was royalty.

The horses had been captured by the bandits. Merlin thought that that was probably all they wanted. A good horse was expensive and the two that they'd been riding were particularly good specimens. Why they'd been taking to a small cell and chained by the legs to a dark, dank wall, Merlin had no idea. Maybe they'd make good slaves to sell on to the highest bidder. The thought didn't sit well with him at all.

He was pretty sure that they were alone, and that Arthur was unconscious, so he risked a little magic. "_Leoht_."

A small globe of light filled the tiny cell that he and Arthur sat in. There was no response from Arthur at all, so Merlin figured it was pretty safe to assume that he _was_ unconscious. The prince had slumped down and his head was leaning on Merlin's shoulder which made it hard for the warlock to see what state his friend was in.

He was about to set about getting out of their chains and finding a way to help Arthur and escape with him when he heard a commotion from somewhere outside the cell. There were yells and the sounds of the clashing of swords stinging the air.

Merlin extinguished his light quickly and listened.

It went quiet suddenly followed by running footsteps.

A face peered in through the bars of the door, lit up from behind by a flickering torch, and though he looked back, Merlin couldn't tell who it was. It certainly wasn't the bald-headed bandit leader, that he _could_ tell.

"In here! They're in here!" the shadowed face at the door yelled to someone behind him.

Another set of running footsteps sounded and the face at the bars fell back, allowing someone else to appear and the key sounded in the lock.

The door opened and the two figures brought in torches into the darkness and Merlin saw the swirling red capes of Camelot's finest.

"Merlin! Good to see you mate!"

Merlin, despite his battering from earlier, couldn't prevent the grin from spreading across his features. "Gwaine! You are a sight for sore eyes!"

"And do they ever look sore," Gwaine joked as he knelt to unlock the chains around Merlin and Arthur's ankles.

"What happened to him?" the other figure asked, which appeared to be Leon.

"Horse thieves combined with a nasty bump on the head by a rock and a stab to the leg," Merlin told him. "He needs to see Gauis, and quickly."

Leon nodded and gathered Arthur up in his arms, requiring no more information. Gwaine looked Merlin up and down quickly. "Can you walk?" he asked.

Merlin nodded, grimaced, and then nodded again.

Gwaine gave him a knowing grin and grabbed Merlin's arm, slinging it around Gwaine's own shoulders while he picked up the torch with the other hand.

"Let's get outta here," he said.

Merlin couldn't agree more.

oOo


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It was a week later when Merlin finally went back to work for Arthur.

They'd both been returned to Camelot in great haste once the knights had found them- the alarm had been raised early on when both Arthur and Merlin had failed to return from a simple riding trip.

Gauis had patched them both up easily enough, but they'd both needed rest and recuperation after their respective wounds. Arthur's head wound had been particularly nasty, but Gauis was a skilled physician and had cleaned and sewed it up well. The stab to his leg as it turned out, while it was deep and bloody, was relatively harmless- it hadn't done too much damage, so Arthur was allowed to rest and then to gently use it so long as he didn't put too much strain on it. That was Gauis' decree, but Arthur found it hard to stay too still. So another couple of weeks later and Arthur had decided that he would start training in earnest again.

Merlin went back to work that morning and woke Arthur up with a particularly good breakfast to celebrate.

He gently pushed the curtains back- for once, just to be nice- but he still couldn't resist a hearty "Good morning!" He looked back to see Arthur's reaction.

He was unusually quiet, but he still stirred enough to reassure Merlin that he was awake.

Merlin frowned when nothing was thrown his way, but he took that to mean that Arthur was just happy to be back in Camelot and back to tending to his royal duties again.

Arthur sat up and swivelled to be on the edge of his bed and blearily rubbed his eyes, then ran his hands over his head. Even Merlin from where he was by the table could see that Arthur winced when his hand ran over his sewn-up wound.

Arthur got up and put his robe on around him then came to the table and sat down to eat.

Merlin poured out a drink for him and glanced at Arthur who had started to eat some of the fresh bread.

"Are you alright Sire?" Merlin asked.

"Mmhmm," was all the reply he got.

Arthur went silent again and stayed that way throughout breakfast.

While Merlin was helping him change, he asked again. "Are you_ sure_ you're alright Arthur?"

Arthur turned to him and smiled. "Of course I am Merlin, don't ask stupid questions."

Merlin scrutinised him closely which got him a playful hit around the head in response.

"Ow!"

"Get on with your chores then Merlin!" Arthur said happily, his demeanour completely changed and apparently back to normal.

"Yes Sire," Merlin groused.

oOo

Merlin kept an eye on Arthur throughout the day, ever his shadow.

He went to weapons training with the knights, all of whom were happy to see their prince back to normal and happy again. The mood was as high as the sun was that day and the banter was plentiful.

Still Merlin watched him. He was sure that there was a tight look in Arthur's eyes whenever he smiled, but no one else had noticed it, so maybe he was imagining things.

He had tended to Arthur in the weeks since they'd returned to Camelot, but Gauis had been spending more time with the Prince to look after his medical needs, so Merlin was needed to take care of Gauis' regular patients and keep the herb stocks in order.

_And_ Gauis had made sure that Merlin also had a lot of rest, as the beating he'd been subjected to had been severe. As it was, this was the first time that Merlin had really had a chance to study Arthur.

Merlin stood at Arthur's side during the council meeting, ready to fill the cup of anyone who might need a drink.

He watched Arthur, and was it his imagination again, or was Arthur ever so slightly distracted at times? It wasn't like him at all, but no one called the prince out on it, so maybe they hadn't noticed. Or maybe the recent events with the bandits made Arthur think that much more deeply about protecting the land, and it was in fact deep thought, not distraction that Merlin was seeing.

He kept glancing towards Arthur's face as he helped him change for bed that night.

"Merlin- you've been staring at me like a lovesick girl all day. Will you please stop it before someone gets the wrong idea?"

"Arthur," Merlin began, but he stopped straightaway as he tried to compose his thoughts. He wasn't quite sure how to phrase what it was he wanted to know.

Arthur, meanwhile, was waiting, his expression expectant and slightly exasperated. "What!?"

Merlin sighed. "You haven't seemed quite like yourself today, that's all," he finally said.

Arthur smiled his winning smile and then smacked Merlin around the head. "I'm fine, obviously! And no one else has thought anything different, so you're the only one who thinks so."

Arthur walked around to his desk to straighten away his papers he'd used that day. Merlin took a few steps towards him. "Arthur, I _know_ you- I can _see_ it, even if no one else has noticed! You just seem... tense. Is it about the attack last week?"

Merlin almost regretted his words when Arthur's expression tightened. Just a little, but it was obvious to Merlin that time.

Arthur looked directly into Merlin's eyes, and although he smiled, it didn't reach his eyes, and Merlin realised he'd been right. Even as Arthur said "I'm fine Merlin," quietly, they both knew that it was a lie.

For once, Merlin just stood there and stared at Arthur and crossed his arms, saying nothing.

They stood like that, just staring at each other eye to eye, neither looking away for what felt like a few minutes but was probably actually barely one.

"I... have never felt... so... useless..." Arthur finally said, sighing, and letting his voice drift off. "I mean, all I did was hit my head and get a scratch to the lef, and I let us both get captured and I couldn't do a thing about it. Even when we were in the cell, I couldn't think straight to be of any use. I've been in battles before, but I've never become so _helpless_ before. I've never let a wound... _do so much to me_." Arthur hit the back of his chair with his fist in frustration.

Merlin reached forwards and put both his hands, palms down, on the writing desk in a determined stance.

"Arthur," he said, "there was nothing- _nothing_- that you could have done. We were taken by surprise." He looked at Arthur who was staring at his hand grasping the back of his chair. "You may be the prince and future king, but that doesn't mean that you don't need some help every now and then. That's why you have the knights and you also have friends who are always there for you. You aren't alone, even when you don't realise it." He paused and looked at his friend.

"Arthur. Did you hear me? You're only human and you aren't infallible."

Arthur snorted. "That's a long word for you," he teased, although it was a little half-hearted.

Merlin rolled his eyes but was glad to hear a little of the Arthur that he knew back again.

They were both quiet for a moment, but Merlin refused to look away or even move from where he was. Eventually, Arthur looked up and looked Merlin in the eye and while the tightness hadn't left, Merlin could see that it had eased.

Arthur stood up and straightened up his tunic before undressing and getting into bed.

"Go to bed Merlin. I want you up bright and early with breakfast- we've a busy day tomorrow."

Merlin tidied up Arthur's clothes and went to leave.

"Sleep well Arthur," he said as he opened the door.

"Merlin?" he heard, stopping him in the doorway.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Merlin smiled. "Good night," he replied. He'd be keeping an eye on the Prince for a while yet- stuff destiny, that's just what friends did for each other. He shut the door and walked back to his room.

-Fin-


End file.
